Why digitally simulating site logistics matters before you build

Early planning of powered access operations can help avoid costly mistakes on site. Ricky Cartwright explains why digital tools are essential to getting projects right first time.

On complex construction projects, whether it’s a hospital, stadium, high-rise residential scheme or major commercial development, huge effort goes into getting the design right. 

Teams invest months into coordinating architecture, structure and building services through BIM models and programme plans.

Yet when it comes to how the building is physically assembled on site, logistics and powered access are often treated as secondary concerns. 

Planning can stop at high-level assumptions: for example, materials will be lifted from the delivery zone to the eighth floor during this phase. The details of how that work will actually be carried out, what equipment is used, how many people are required, where machines can safely stand and how long the task really takes, is often decided when work has already started.

This gap between design intent and the realities experienced on site is where delays, re-work and unnecessary cost creep in. Digitally simulating logistics and powered access allows project teams to rehearse real installation scenarios early, while change is less costly and options are still open.

Below are some practical steps that can be taken to support effective project delivery.

Many site delays come down to basic issues: the equipment doesn’t quite reach, the basket is too small, a different licence is required, or the machine simply isn’t available when needed. 

Digital simulation removes this guesswork by validating proposed equipment against the real task before anyone arrives on site.

By confirming reach, load, access routes, working positions and safety constraints early, teams can ensure the right equipment is available at the right time, avoiding aborted lifts, rehire and programme disruption.

A digital library of powered access equipment, MEWPs, telehandlers, cranes and hoists allows teams to quickly filter and select the right tool based on practical metadata such as reach, load capacity, cost, lead time, licence requirements and supplier availability.

But the real value comes when that library also captures project feedback and operational knowledge.

For example, if a particular lift performs poorly in a congested onsite environment, it can be recorded and flagged for offsite use only. Or if a machine’s maximum load significantly slows installation speed, that data can be captured and used to inform future planning. 

Feedback from operators, supervisors and logistics teams becomes part of the asset’s digital record, rather than being lost at the end of the project.

Over time, this turns individual project experience into organisational knowledge, reducing repeated mistakes and improving decision-making across multiple sites.

For the build of Everton Football Club’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, Prodtex worked with Lindner Prater and Laing O’Rourke to digitally simulate the facade installation process at height using powered access equipment.

Crucially, the simulation focused on the process, not just reach. It showed that two operators were required in the MEWP basket to safely perform the installation task. This immediately ruled out the originally planned MEWP and drove the requirement for a larger unit. 

However, the larger machine introduced a new issue: the planned parking location could not safely support the increased load without reinforcement. As this was identified months before site work began, the team was able to adjust the design and logistics strategy without adding significant costs.

This reflects the well-known ‘Rule of 10’:

Digital simulation helps identify issues earlier, when they are cheapest to fix.

Prodtex has also worked with Laing O’Rourke to simulate construction processes for the Grange Hospital, focusing on how materials were delivered to upper floors during internal fitout.

The initial plan relied heavily on a large crane, which was also on the critical path for structural works. By digitally simulating alternative logistics options, including telehandlers and MEWPs, the team compared load capacity, cycle times, safety constraints and labour requirements across a repeatable operation.

This allowed the team to capture real task durations, identify more efficient solutions, and avoid tying up critical lifting resources, improving both programme robustness and site productivity.

In early design stages, final equipment choices are often unknown. Parametric, adjustable equipment models allow designers and planners to test different reaches, loads and configurations to understand what the operation will require, even if the exact machine isn’t yet selected.

This helps set clear requirements for procurement teams and avoids costly rehire or late changes once work on site has begun.

Simulating powered access operations highlights pinch points, exclusion zones, clashes and unsafe manoeuvres before anyone is exposed to risk. 

This strengthens risk assessments, method statements and permit-to-work processes, while giving site teams greater confidence that the planned method is safe and achievable.

Simulating logistics with digitally validated equipment improves communication with plant hire companies and specialist subcontractors. Everyone can clearly see what equipment is required, how it will be used and when it needs to be available.

This reduces back-and-forth between project teams, avoids late changes, and enables smoother mobilisation across the supply chain.

Selecting the right equipment through simulation reduces unnecessary hires, oversized machinery and wasted movements on site. Fewer aborted operations and more efficient sequencing translate directly into lower fuel use and reduced carbon impact.

For contractors under increasing pressure to meet sustainability targets, better logistics planning is a practical and measurable way to cut both cost and emissions.

Digitally simulating logistics before getting to site allows contractors to make better decisions earlier, when change is cheaper and more options are still open. 

By validating equipment, capturing operational knowledge, improving safety and reducing programme and procurement risk, these activities help protect time, cost and people on site. 

For projects under pressure to deliver faster, safer and more sustainably, digital logistics simulation is becoming a practical business tool rather than a technical nice-to-have.

Ricky Cartwright is head of technology at Prodtex.